The husband of Rhode Island’s Democratic Party chair has been indicted in an alleged $20 million theft involving a community college that eventually shut down. Michael Perik, whose wife is party chair Liz Beretta-Perik, faces a dozen felony charges in Ohio. Authorities accuse him and two others of diverting public education funding through fraudulent reimbursements and illegal incentive payments. Officials allege the scheme contributed to Eastern Gateway Community College’s closure.
Ohio Auditor Keith Faber announced the case October 8th at the Ohio Statehouse alongside U.S. Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent. A Jefferson County grand jury brought charges against Perik, Nicole Rowe Colclasure and former college president Michael Geoghegan. The prosecution concerns Pell grants, other federal financial aid and state subsidies intended to support students attending the Ohio institution.
Perik’s charges include engaging in a pattern of corrupt activities, aggravated theft of $1.5 million or more, theft in office and telecommunications fraud. He also faces bribery, money laundering, receiving stolen property and unlawful-interest-in-a-public-contract charges. The case remains at the accusation stage, and the indictment doesn’t establish guilt.
According to the Ohio auditor’s announcement, Perik allegedly used four businesses, including Student Resource Center, to divert college funds. Colclasure served as that company’s president and part owner. Investigators allege the contractors exercised improper control over enrollment, attendance verification and financial aid. Faber said, “These public resources were supposed to help disadvantaged students in an area of the state where educational opportunities were scarce.”
WKBN’s reporting on the indictment described allegations that Perik and Colclasure paid public officials responsible for overseeing enrollment and financial aid, then billed those payments back to the college as legitimate expenses. Their businesses provided services ranging from software licensing to consulting and enrollment management. Investigators also allege that records falsely represented tuition as being funded by union scholarships. Faber said some students believed they were receiving scholarships while Pell grant funding was being used in their names.
The auditor’s investigation timeline traces the college’s expansion into online education nationwide through a free-college program for union members and their families. The Higher Learning Commission placed the institution on probation in 2021. Federal authorities subsequently intervened over its handling of student aid. In August 2022, the U.S. Department of Education imposed heightened cash monitoring, and enrollment fell 48.9% in fall 2023 compared with the previous fall.
Watch the local report from NBC 10 WJAR here:
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By early 2024, Eastern Gateway had paused enrollment, and Ohio placed it under fiscal watch that March. The state advanced more than $6 million, but the college’s board determined it could no longer operate. Instruction ended in 2024, with the institution’s wind-down continuing into 2025. The auditor’s subsequent review identified deficiencies in financial records, internal controls and documentation establishing whether students enrolled and attended classes.
In Rhode Island, NBC 10 contacted Beretta-Perik about whether her husband’s indictment would affect her position leading the state Democratic Party. She responded by text message, according to the station’s report. The three defendants identified in the Ohio case are her husband, Colclasure and Geoghegan. Asked about her own status as chair, Beretta-Perik said, “This is an Ohio matter and does not involve me.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.